(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Three-time Olympian Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) moved on to the medal round with a quarterfinal victory over England’s Khalid Yafai on Wednesday at the 2011 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. His fellow 2012 Olympians Joseph Diaz, Jr. (S. El Monte, Calif.) and Errol Spence (Desoto, Texas) both lost their quarterfinal contests but qualified for London with their top 10 finishes in Baku.
Warren faced off in a more tactical match-up on Wednesday than his third round contest the previous boxer, looking for openings in the defense of Yafai in their flyweight showdown. He held a 4-1 lead after one round, but Yafai picked up his own output in the second round to move Warren’s lead to an 8-6 advantage. Yet Warren refused to let the bout get any closer in the third and final round and went on to win a 14-9 final decision. He will face Russia’s Misha Aloyan in semifinal round competition on Friday. Warren’s victory secures the history-making boxer at least a bronze medal. It will be his third medal in World Championships action following a bronze in 2005 and gold in the 2007 World Championships.
Diaz faced a stiff test in his quarterfinal contest with Cuba’s Lazaro Alvarez. The American teenager fell behind early, training 6-2 after the first round. Alvarez used his height and movement to claim 13-5 advantage with one round remaining. He went on to win a 19-10 final decision over Diaz to end his medal run. Despite his loss, Diaz clinched his berth in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Spence faced a similar situation in his bout with two-time World Champion Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan on Wednesday. Sapiyev was very active early on in the bout and claimed a 6-3 lead after one before doubling his advantage to a 10-4 margin after two rounds of boxing. Spence couldn’t overcome his deficit in the third round and dropped a 16-7 final decision. Yet the American welterweight will return home as a 2012 Olympian following his strong effort in Baku.
All of the competitors will enjoy an off day on Thursday before action resumes with semifinal round competition on Friday.
USA Boxing National Coach Joe Zanders (Long Beach, Calif.), coaches Ronald Simms (Stafford, Va.) and Manny Robles (Los Angeles, Calif.), technical advisor Ken Porter (Akron, Ohio), and Team Manager Ken Buffington (Marshalltown, Iowa) are leading the United States team in Baku.
The 2011 World Championships are the first international qualifying tournament for the 2012 Olympic Games, and the light flyweight through light heavyweight boxers must place in top ten to qualify for London while the heavyweight and super heavyweight competitors need to place in the top six.
For the full brackets for all 10 weight classes and the most up-to-date results, go to http://www.aiba.org/en-US/2011/2011WorldBoxingChampionships.aspx. For more information on Team USA, go to www.usaboxing.org. USA Boxing will tweet all the American results as they happen @usaboxing.
The first AIBA Men’s World Championships were held in 1974 in Havana, Cuba. The event, which consistently showcases the best boxers in the world, is held every two years.
U.S. Results
114 lbs: Rau’shee Warren, Cincinnati, Ohio/USA dec. Khalid Yafai, ENG, 14-9
123 lbs: Lazaro Alvarez, CUB, dec. Joseph Diaz, Jr., S. El Monte, Calif./USA, 19-10
152 lbs: Serik Sapiyev, KAZ, dec. Errol Spence, Desoto, Texas/USA, 16-7
